1) Over the last 14 years in Venezuela, many liberties have been lost as tens of media outlets were closed by the government and Venezuela now ranks 114th in press freedom. 2) Internet access in Venezuela has grown significantly, reaching over 13 million users by 2012, with social networks like Facebook surpassing email in popularity. 3) During the recent presidential election, both candidates actively used social media like Twitter and Facebook, receiving millions of mentions, retweets, and views online, showing the growing influence of online media in Venezuelan politics.